Biographical Notes and Chronological List
Biographical Notes
(A Chronological list of the names of major family members, their spouses, and children is also available.)
Henry Breckinridge
1886, May 25
Born,
Chicago, Ill.
1907
A.B.,
Princeton University,Princeton, N.J.
1910
Cambridge, Mass.
Cambridge
LL.B,
Harvard University,Cambridge, Mass.
Married
Ruth Bradley Woodman
1910
1913
Law practice,
Lexington, Ky.
1913
1916
Assistant secretary of war
1916
1917
First vice president,
Pacific Hardware and Steel Co.,San Francisco, Calif.
1917
1919
Served with
American Expeditionary Forces
1922
1960
Law practice,
New York, N.Y.
1927
Married
Aida de Acosta Root (divorced)
1932
Counsel to
Charles A. Lindbergh during kidnap ransom
negotiations
1934
Candidate of
Constitutional Party for senator from
New York
1936
Entered presidential preference primaries in four
states
1947
Married
Margaret Lucy Smith
1960, May 2
Died,
New York, N.Y
John Breckinridge
1760, Dec. 2
Born near present site of
Staunton, Va.
1779
1780
Attended
College of William and Mary,Williamsburg, Va.
1785
Virginia
Virginia
Admitted to
Virginia bar
Married
Mary Hopkins Cabell
1792
Virginia
Virginia
Lexington, Ky.
Lexington
Left
Virginia and settled near
Lexington, Ky.
1792
1795
Practiced law
1795
Appointed attorney general of
Kentucky
1797
1801
Served in
Kentucky state legislature
1801
1805
Senator from
Kentucky
1805
1806
Attorney general of the
United States
1806, Dec. 14
Died,
Lexington, Ky.
John Cabell Breckinridge
1821, Jan. 15
Born near
Lexington, Ky.
1839
Graduated from
Centre College,Danville, Ky.
1840
1841
Studied law at
Transylvania College,Lexington, Ky.
1843
Married
Mary Cyrene Burch
1849
1851
Represented
Fayette County in
Kentucky state legislature
1851
1855
Served in
United States House of Representatives
1856
Elected vice president of the
United States
1860
Presidential nominee of the
Democratic National Convention
1861
United States Senator from
Kentucky
1861
1865
Served in
Confederate army
1865
1868
Lived in exile in
Europe
1869
Returned to law practice in
Lexington, Ky.
1875, May 17
Died,
Lexington, Ky.
Joseph Cabell Breckinridge
1842, Jan. 14
Born,
Baltimore, Md.
1861
Joined
United States Army; promoted through
grades to major general, 1903
1868
Married
Louise Ludlow Dudley
1889
1903
Inspector general,
United States Army
1892
1899
Vice president general,
Sons of the American Revolution
1898
Participated in
Santiago campaign, Spanish-American
War
1900
1901
President general,
Sons of the American Revolution
1920, Aug. 18
Died,
Washington, D.C.
Madeline (McDowell) Breckinridge
1872, May 20
Born,
Woodlake, Ky.
1898
Married
Desha Breckinridge
1919
1912
1915
President,
Kentucky Equal Rights Association
1913
1917
Vice president,
State Tuberculosis Commission
1920, Nov. 15
Died,
Lexington, Ky.
Robert Jefferson Breckinridge
1800, Mar. 8
Born,
Fayette County, Ky.
1819
Graduated,
Union College,Schenectady, N.Y.
1823
Married
Ann Sophonisba Preston (died,
1844)
1824
Began law practice
1825
1828
Served in
Kentucky state legislature
1832
Princeton, N.J.
Princeton
Studied for the ministry at
Princeton University,Princeton, N.J.
Licensed to preach in
Presbyterian church
1832
1845
Minister,
Second Presbyterian Church,Baltimore, Md.
1836
Representative of
Presbyterian General Assembly in
Glasgow, Scotland
1845
1847
President,
Jefferson College
1847
Lexington, Ky.
Lexington
Minister,
First Presbyterian Church,Lexington, Ky.
Married
Mrs. Virginia (Hart) Shelby (died,
1859)
1847
1851
Superintendent of public instruction for
Kentucky public school system
1853
1869
Professor,
Danville Theological Seminary,Danville, Ky.
1858
Publication of
The Knowledge of God, Objectively
Considered... (New York: R. Carter & Brothers, 530 p.)
1859
Publication of
The Knowledge of God, Subjectively
Considered... (New York: R. Carter & Brothers, 697 p.)
Married
Margaret (Faulkner) White
1871, Nov 27
Died,
Danville, Ky.
Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge
1866
Born,
Lexington, Ky.
1888
S.B.,
Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
1901
Ph.D.,
University of Chicago,Chicago, Ill.
1902
1933
Instructor and professor,
University of Chicago,Chicago, Ill.
1908
1920
Resident of
Hull House,Chicago, Ill.
1915
Delegate to
Women's Peace Congress,The Hague, Netherlands
1930
Delegate to
Pan-American Children's Congress,Lima, Peru
1930
President,
Illinois Welfare Association
1933
Delegate to
Pan-American Conference,Montevideo, Uruguay
1934
1935
President,
American Association of Schools of Social
Work
1948, July 30
Died,
Chicago, Ill.
William Campbell Preston Breckinridge
1837, Aug. 28
Born,
Baltimore, Md.
1855
Graduated from
Centre College,Danville, Ky.
1857
Graduated from
Louisville Law College and entered law
practice,
Louisville, Ky.
1859
Married
Lucretia Clay (died, 1860)
1861
Married
Issa Desha (died, 1892)
1862
Joined
Confederate Army
1866
1868
Editor of
Lexington Observer and Reporter,Lexington, Ky.
1884
1894
Served in
United States House of Representatives
----
Married
Louise R. Scott Wing
1897
Became chief editorial writer for
Lexington Morning Herald,Lexington, Ky.
1904, Nov. 19
Died,
Lexington, Ky.
Clifton Rodes Breckinridge
1846, Nov. 22
Born,
Lexington, Ky.
1870
1883
Cotton planter in
Arkansas
1876
Married
Katherine Carson (also addressed as
Catharine)
1883
1894
Member of
United States House of Representatives
1894
1897
United States
United States
Russia
Russian Federation
United States minister to
Russia
1917
Democratic member of the
Arkansas State Constitutional Convention
1932, Dec. 3
Died,
Fort Smith, Ark.
Chronological List of the Names of Major Family Members, Their
Spouses, and Children
Papers of the individuals listed here make up the greater part of the Breckinridge Family Papers. Names of children who are known not to have survived to adulthood are omitted.
Major Family Members and Spouses Children John Breckinridge (1760-1806) m. Mary Hopkins Cabell (1788-1823) Grayson Porter Breckinridge (1786-1831) Joseph Cabell Breckinridge (1769-1858) John Breckinridge (1788-1823) Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (1800-1871) William Lewis Breckinridge (1803-1876) Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (1760-1806) m. (1) Ann Sophonisba Preston (d. 1844) Mary Cabell (Breckinridge) Warfield (b. 1828) Sally Campbell (Breckinridge) Morrison (1832-1865) Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (b. 1834) Marie L. Preston (Breckinridge) Handy (b. 1836) William Campbell Preston Breckinridge (1837-1904) Sophonisba Preston (Breckinridge) Steele (b. 1839) Joseph Cabell Breckinridge (1842-1920) (2) Virginia (Hart) Shelby (d. 1859) John Robert Breckinridge (b. 1850) (3) Margaret (Faulkner) White --- John Cabell Breckinridge (1821-1875) [son] of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge (1788-1823) m. Mary Cyrene Burch Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Clifton Rodes Breckinridge (1846-1932) Frances (Breckinridge) Steel John W. "Owen" Breckinridge Mary (Breckinridge) Maltby William Campbell Preston Breckinridge (1837-1904) m. (1) Lucretia Hart Clay (d. 1860) --- (2) Issa Desha (1843-1892) Ella Desha (Breckinridge) Chalkley (b. 1862) Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge (1866-1948) Desha Breckinridge (1867-1935) Campbell Breckinridge Issa Desha Breckinridge Robert Jefferson Breckinridge Mary Curry Breckinridge (3) Louis R. Scott Wing --- Joseph Cabell Breckinridge (1842-1920) m. Louis Ludlow Dudley (1849-circa 1911) Mary Dudley (Breckinridge) Hines Robert Jefferson Breckinridge Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Louisa Dudley Breckinridge Ethelbert L. Dudley Breckinridge Mabel Warfield Breckinridge Lucian Scott Breckinridge Lucy Hayes Breckinridge Scott Dudley Breckinridge (1882-1941) Charles H. P. Breckinridge Henry [Skillman] Breckinridge (1886-1960) Margaret Scott S. Breckinridge John Preston Breckinridge Mary Desha (1850-1911) [sister-in-law of William Campbell Preston Breckinridge (1837-1904)] Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge (1866-1948) Madeline (McDowell) Breckinridge (1872-1920) m. Desha Breckinridge (1867-1935) Henry [Skillman] Breckinridge (1886-1960) m. (1) Ruth B. Woodman Elizabeth Foster Breckinridge Louis Dudley Breckinridge (2) Aida de Acosta Root -- (3) Margaret Lucy Smith Madeline Houston Breckinridge
Hereinafter cited as Henry Breckinridge ("Skillman" appears to have been dropped after his early years).
From the guide to the Breckinridge Family Papers, 1752-1965, (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)